Mission Miracles

Namaste hummar pariwar!

 

This week was really awesome! I learned a lot more Hindi, soon I hope to be good, at least at bus conversations. I was all over the country this week. I went to Rakiraki on tuesday and wednesday and Lautoka on Saturday. Travelling makes me tired, but it is all good. I got to work with really good elders. I did a baptismal interview in Rakiraki too.

 

We really had a lot of success this week. I don't know if it was because half the week I was on exchanges in Rakiraki or Lautoka or if many of our efforts are finally paying off. I think it is the latter one. Elder Tay has been working really hard this week too. He's doing a really good job learning Fijian and leading the area even when I am gone on exchanges. He found several new investigators this week through opening his mouth and it has been a really rewarding week for him.

My exchange with Rakiraki this week was most productive because I was able to do a baptismal interview and to meet many of the investigators who are preparing for baptism. I continue to be impressed with Elder Driso (he's from Fiji) and the way he works with the people in Rakiraki.  The work is good in Rakiraki. They have four baptismal dates coming up in the next month. 

I also went on exchanges with Elder Owens our zone leader in Lautoka and that was really helpful. He's from Nephi, actually from Fountain Green I think. He's a really cool guy. We met an indian family, the pillays, who had recently been baptized. We shared about Alma the younger and his conversion. As I watched them read and discover more about the BofM, I saw how tenderly they grabbed their copies of the Book of Mormon and I knew they understood. I loved meeting them, they are definitely a tender mercy from the Lord. I was impressed by the way Elder Owens handles his area. He really does lead with inspiration. He complimented me a lot on the things I'm doing as well and it helped me to realize that I am doing a lot of things good, even though I'm not perfect.

Our mission president asked us to share mission miracles that we have had. I feel like on my mission I have had about a million mission miracles. It's hard for me to pick one. I would pick one from Elder Tay this week, but that's his to share. One miracle I have experienced is when I was teaching a lady named Taiga. We had taught her for probably 4 months and she still was not committing to be baptized. Her family wanted to be baptized but she was the mom and she was kind of the hinge. If she would get baptized the whole family would follow her lead. She was struggling because she was the treasurer in her church and she had a lot of friends in her former church. She'd explained a lot of that and I was just thinking how can I relate to this woman. I knew she would have to give up almost everything to follow Christ and to join his true church. I thought I have never had to do that. Then the spirit whispered to me, "Share why you came on your mission and what you sacrificed." I shared how I had to put a scholarship on hold, I had to take a two year break from playing the piano, from a few job offers, and I had to leave my friends and family. Honestly, at first I was not willing to make the committment. One day after I was speaking with my single's ward bishop, I just felt the spirit whisper to me, "He has done so much for you. Shouldn't you do this for Him?" I felt like I had been called and after that it didn't matter what I had to give up, it was all worth it. Then we committed her to pray and she said ok. The next time we met with them, we followed up, "Did you pray?" With tears in her eyes and a smile on her face she said yes. I asked what did you feel/hear? (In Tuvaluan, they are the same word.) She said, "I heard the holy ghost whisper to me that this is true." I asked, "Then will you be baptized." She said yes, and she was baptized in September of this year.

One thing that was really great this week was Elder Tay was with Elder Patenaude(actually his mother is jewish and he's from Washington, DC), who serves in Rakiraki. They were going to buy bread because there was no food in the house. As they passed the bus stop, some boys invited them over and they began to ask some questions. Elder Tay and Elder Pate basically taught the first lesson to them and then invited them to learn more. They are so excited and they want to be missionaries too! I met them yesterday and they are such sincere seekers of truth. I'm so excited to teach them more.

 

This week we had thirteen lessons. That's low compared to our Tuvalu days, but that is a huge improvement from where the area was when we first got here. I'm so excited. It feels like everything is moving in the right direction.

This was such a good week! I am so happy. I am healthy too! I've realized that if I eat foods that aren't oily, my stomach is a lot more happy.

 

I love you all so much! Please email me and send me christmas cards! I'm hoping to make some Christmas cards today! Did anyone do anything cool for 11-11-11? I wanted to make a wish at 11:11, but I forgot. Loving you all!

 

PS if you have questions about what is going on, please ask. I don't know if I email the things you want to hear or if you would rather hear something else. Let me know!

--
Elder Paul Leland Hill
Fiji Suva Mission